The stealth bomb that the F-35 will receive will be able to fly over 500 kilometers

The United States continues to build on the capabilities of the fifth-generation F-35C fighter. It is provided with equipment and programs that allow it to hit ground targets. Perhaps this ability will soon become his main task.

Recently, the US Navy announced the deployment of a new series of AGM-154 gliding stealth bombs, or JSOW-ER. The process should be completed by the end of 2023, while the bomb can be a very effective means of combating the Russian S-400 air defense systems, the effective radius of which is 400 kilometers, which causes concern among specialists.

The stealth bomb can be used both by the fourth-generation naval fighters Boeing F / A-18E / F Super Hornet and the latest F-35C, which are to become the main aircraft of the American carrier-based aviation.

On February 35, Naval Air Systems Command NAVAIR announced its intentions to conclude a contract with Raytheon to carry out work related to the latest weapon system, known as the JSOW-Extended Range, or JSOW-ER. At the same time, it is reported that the ammunition will have compatibility with the US F-XNUMXA strike fighter.

It remains unclear whether the US Air Force has the ability to purchase these missiles for its fighters. It should be clarified that the US Air Force has a large number of aircraft that can carry long-range and ultra-long range missiles.

With the introduction of a new bomb into the F-35C ammunition, the US Navy will have new capabilities. If a Hamilton-Sundstrand TJ-150 turbojet engine is installed on the bomb, its flight range will be increased by 100 - 130 kilometers (for the basic version), that is, up to 560 kilometers. Using the JSOW-ER, it will be possible to strike at heavily defended targets, while the carrier aircraft will not enter the air defense zone.

That is, the US military was able to achieve a combination of the relative cheapness of guided bombs and the capabilities of cruise missiles. As for the JSOW-ER warhead, its weight is 450 kilograms.

It should be clarified that the US military program with the F-35 aircraft is not always successful. So, some time ago, information appeared that the first such fifth-generation fighters, which were in the army, are likely to be decommissioned by the middle of the next decade. As it turned out, early production cars have technical flaws.

As for the countries of Europe, they intend not to stop at the manufacture of fifth-generation fighters, but to engage in the development of sixth-generation aircraft.